There are many different talents and unique gifts that go into being a really great writer, and you have to eventually learn how to master them all over time. That pretty much goes without saying. You have to be able to create compelling characters, write engaging dialogue, have an understanding of plot points and strategy, add details, pay attention to themes and tone, build reader empathy so you can get your audience to invest the time and energy that it takes to make your story work, and still maintain a sense of literary cohesion and continuity. You don’t really understand how much work goes into making a story from scratch until you take the time to break it all down and pay attention to all of its moving parts in order to understand the difficulty of how much creative genius it takes to manipulate all of these elements to create something special while still making it look easy. All of these things not only have to be a part of your common writing discipline, but they have to be added to your work with a certain sense of ‘balance’ that will hold it together and (hopefully) have it all make some kind of sense in the long run. It’s not a cake walk, not by any means...but that doesn’t mean that it has to be something that you as an author have to dread and continuously struggle with either. Experience takes a lot of the pain and agony out of it. And it will happen. Hehehe, I promise.

One of the two major rules that I always stress when giving out any kind of writing advice is to practice, practice, practice! Practice every moment that you can get, and then take a break, come back, and practice some more. It’s the only way to hone your craft. You can never practice enough. Build up your experience and enjoy every opportunity that you’re given along the way.

The second major rule is a direct extension of the first. And that is to enjoy yourself and feel comfortable with your writing. Comfort isn’t something that can be taught, it simply has to be found. It has to be earned. It’s there within you, but you’re going to have to dig for it. So dig! Relax and try to let your talent flow as naturally and as spontaneously as you possibly can, until that comfort can be felt by your audience in ways that I can’t ever hope to explain...but I can tell the difference. And so can they.

The thing is...these two major rules are important principles that build off of one another, and it all boils down to writer experience. Nothing else can replace experience when it comes to bringing life to your work. It is the magic cocktail that will combine all of the best parts of everything that I mentioned above and it grows bigger and becomes more fine tuned every time you write a new story or try out a new approach in your work. So the more often you do that, the stronger your skills will automatically become.

Now, the thing about writing is that it can keep on ticking for as long as you do. A boxer might lose a few steps over time, a basketball player may have a younger guy on the court who can run circles around him, a singer’s voice may fade after years of intense performances...but writing never has to stop or grow tired unless you want it to. You, literally, have your entire life to build up all of the experience points that you could ever need to be the very best there is. Be proud of that. It will escalate your writing to levels that might surprise you.

Why? I thought you might ask that. Hehehe! Let me explain...

When I started writing, I was young, and hungry, and passionate...I was doing things back then that I probably couldn’t even conceive of doing now. There’s definitely something to be said for jumping into something like this when you’re all headstrong and ready to take on the entire world with the limitless potential you’ve got laid out ahead of you. But...could I outperform a younger version of myself today if I really had to? Oh God, yes! Hehehe! I think so. Easily. I’ve gathered so much information and technique and nuance over the years where I know that my younger self wouldn’t stand a chance trying to go against me. (Hehehe, that’s my ego talking. Mostly kidding, but not entirely.) The thing about experience is that it brings you a comfort and a sense of self confidence that allows a lot of the rules, the mistakes, the constant push to be the best, and the paranoia that comes from knowing that you’re not the best, to simply fall to the side. They cease to exist for you in any real state of importance. If that makes sense.

I think that a certain spontaneity comes with experience that simply isn’t there when you’re still learning, or growing, or trying to evolve. You can still stretch out and do new things, but you’ve already been working hard to maintain a comfort zone that you can draw from any time that you want to. And that’s extra energy. The eager need to prove yourself is still there, but it isn’t always in turbo mode. It’s….ugh...let me see if I can explain it this way...

This is a clip from the movie, “Tap”. Now, it has some of the most talented tap dancers to ever do it. And Gregory Hines was one of the best at that time, but this scene involves him matching up with some of the greatest of all time, including Sammy Davis Jr, who has never spent a day in school! He was a performer from the age of three, and was a legend among entertainers the entire time. He’s done routines that were once thought impossible, and then surpassed them. Here, he was in his 60’s, and unfortunately passed the following year from cancer...but all of these incredible artists were able to take Gregory Hines to task, despite being almost twice his age! It’s actually kind of crazy when you think about it. Because there’s no WAY he could have taken Sammy on when he was in his prime! Hehehe!

I’d like to think that if I could still keep doing the ‘Comicality’ thing for another ten years or so...I could reach the point where that would be me. LOL! “Comsie doesn’t have any typing fingers anymore!”

“WHAT?!?! No typing fingers??? Bring your ass to this keyboard and let me teach you something, youngster!” ::Giggles::

The point is...there comes a point where all of the skill and technique that you’ve learned and worked so hard at in the beginning becomes an almost automatic response to what you’re doing. It’s second nature. You don’t have to think about it anymore, it’s simply a part of what you do. You know how it works and how to use it to your advantage without even breaking a sweat...and that gives you all the room in the world to improvise and take risks where other authors wouldn’t. This is why practice is so very important. Because the less energy you have to use adhering to writing formulas and mechanics, the more energy you have to put towards your natural instincts and spontaneous blocks of fiction that you never thought you’d be able to write before. Basically, that entire uphill battle that you struggled through in order to learn your art...is now a flat line. It’s just something that you do. You don’t have to ‘think’ about breathing. You don’t have to ‘retrain’ yourself on how to ride a bike. You don’t ‘forget’ how to swim. These are skills that are always at your disposal when you need them...and they don’t take any thought or effort at all. So all of that extra energy can go towards to achieving new elevated levels of expertise that you didn’t even know were there before. And that’s the beauty of experience.

Hehehe, there have been many times in the chatroom where I playfully come up with a scenario or a new idea and write it out spontaneously right there in real time...just to show them that I can. Now, of course, an actual story takes a lot more time and planning and editing to make it complete...but at the same time, I’ve had enough experience over the years where creating a short passage on the fly has become so easy that it barely takes any thought or effort at all. I can do that part for fun. I know how to put words together. I know how to use descriptive words to paint a vivid picture. I know how to invoke certain motions and set up scenarios that will ‘show, not tell’ to express the thoughts of my main character. Structure, vocabulary, plot twists, story planning, dialogue...I’ve done it enough to have these things step in for me without even needing to think about them. It’s just something that I do. So all of my energy is free to do other things with every story that I write.

Every part of the writing process that you conquer...becomes a natural ‘reflex’ action. One that you can trust and depend on.

This is a martial artist, Donnie Yen, who I’ve been a huge fan of for many years now. And he’s playing Ip Man, one of the greatest fighters and revolutionaries of his time. But look at this scene! This is what I’m talking about! He doesn’t have to think or concentrate or put extra focus and energy into what he’s doing. He’s simply got so much experience that every block, dodge, and parry, comes naturally to him. He knows what’s coming next. He knows how punches and kicks work. He can see the entire ‘chess game’ of fighting twelve steps down the road. Why? An insane amount of practice. The only time he really has to expel any extra energy is when he has to deal with something unpredictable or out of the ordinary.

Writing can work the same way once you’re comfortable enough with it.

Now, I’m not saying that you have to put in an entire lifetime’s worth of hardcore daily writing in order to be as good as you want to be. Not at all. I’m saying that you work to take the writing challenges presented to you...find your own way to master them...and then allow them to become second nature to you so you’re not focused on them anymore. Like I said...every part of the writing process that you conquer, becomes a reflex action. The less you have to ‘think’...the more you’re allowed to ‘feel’. And the feeling is what people are going to remember most about your story. So try out a few new ideas, and keep at it until you get it right and feel comfortable with it. It might take a couple of weeks...it might take a couple of years. It depends on the writer and what they’re hoping to achieve with their work. But experience to the point of total comfort is key to really creating an amazing story in my opinion.

There are still times when I’ll look back at something, or someone will quote something from a chapter, and I’m like, “Wait...I wrote that???” It’s because a lot of what I do now has become an involuntary expression of whatever it is that I was feeling while writing or adding to that particular story. So when you’re putting your thoughts out there, and wearing your heart on your sleeve...be a dancer! Be a martial artist! Know what works, what to look for, what’s coming next...and make it a part of who you are. And when you find that comfort zone...go searching for the next level. It can be the path towards being one of the greats!

I hope this helps you guys out! A little something to think about when working on your next project! Take care, and thanks for listening to me babble for a while! More to come! I’ll seezya then!